


Better in Practice

by bloodyfandom



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-21 00:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/893832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodyfandom/pseuds/bloodyfandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Theoretically Gibbs knows that Tony is better at some things than he is. Abby could probably whip him up a diagram or something if he actually gave a crap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better in Practice

**Author's Note:**

> One of my first fics.

It's 2:30am, the wind is just starting to get chilly, hinting at the coming winter. He leans forward, hands hanging over the edge of the railing as he flicks ash onto the flowers lining the porch. He watches headlights turning into a driveway, leaves skittering down the quiet street; tries not to think about the warm bed waiting for him inside that he doesn't want to lie down in.

"Jethro? Honey?"

He sighs, "Yeah?"

"You gonna stay up all night?"

"Not tired."

He hears her shift, nightgown and robe too thin to keep her from shivering against the chill, making her voice tremble ever so slightly.

"Alright. Try not to stay up too late."

"Ok."

There's the pause, the concern mixed with the confusion. The door always closes. The feet always climb back up the steps to the bedroom. The silence always slinks back, surrounding him; a sick comfort like picking at a scab.

They never know he smokes until it comes close to the end. He doesn't make a habit of it, doesn't smoke every day, sometimes goes months between. Then something goes wrong, or things get bad. He stops talking, they stop trying. It's over.

And then he's alone, he doesn't remember the feel of another body in his bed, doesn't have to worry about socks on the floor or how much time he spends working on the boat because there's no one there to nag him about it.

 

***

 

"Hey...Boss," Tony says the last word questioningly as he climbs the steps of the porch.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs keeps his eyes trained forward, down, away. Flicks ash into the snow-covered flower bed.

"You ok?"

"Yeah."

Tony leans on the railing next to him.

"Really? Because you're still wearing the same blood soaked shirt I saw you in six hours ago."

"DiNozzo..."

"Gibbs."

Tony's gaze is piercing and solid, practically nailing him to the spot as Tony reaches over and takes the cigarette from Gibbs' hand, taking a long drag before flicking it into the snow.

"Those things'll kill you," Tony smirks, smoke and visible breath exhaling through his nose and mouth, trailing up over his head into the cold night air.

Gibbs just stares at him for a minute, considering. Tony didn't understand the rules, the implications of his actions. Didn't understand that maybe all this time Gibbs had just been waiting for someone to come and get him out of the cold.

"Let's go inside. You have to have a clean shirt in there somewhere," Tony gestures with a nod.

"I'll be in..."

"Now, Boss. Come on."

It's almost gentle, the way he guides Gibbs inside with a hand that slides from his shoulder to his lower back.

When the door closes that hand is joined by another and they smooth up Gibbs' back to his shoulders, tugging at the coat and jacket. Then there are fingers, turning Gibbs around, pulling at buttons.

"I can undress myself," Gibbs says, face expressionless. He makes no move to stop Tony and therefore Tony does not stop.

"Yeah, you're a big boy now, I know."

The shirt goes the way of the coat and jacket, pushed off of shoulders and offered to the cold floor. Then fingers are pulling at the edges of an undershirt, lifting it up and Gibbs obliges, raising his arms without tearing his gaze from Tony's face. How comfortable is Tony? Is this a game or Tony's strange sense of affection? Gibbs has no answers so he waits it out.

Without a word, Tony turns and takes off his own coat and jacket, slipping off his shoes. He heads for the bathroom, glancing just once over his shoulder, making eye contact.

When Gibbs gets to the bathroom, feet finally listening to his command to move, the water is already running. Tony quirks a grin and walks back out, shutting the door behind him. The water feels good, feels great. He scrubs at dried blood, watching it all run down the drain. It feels like the blood was a weight and now that it's gone he feels lighter. Clean clothes are waiting for him on the bathroom counter and he gets dressed without thinking too hard about what exactly Tony thinks he's doing.

There's coffee for him when he comes out and Tony is at the kitchen table looking half dead.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Gibbs says gently.

Tony smiles up at him, obviously tired.

"Only if you're gonna join me."

For a second Tony seems oblivious to how that sounded and then his mouth twitches slightly.

"You need some company?" Gibbs teases.

"You know, Boss. It gets a little lonely. Plus it's pretty cold tonight; could use the extra heat."

Gibbs smirks, sipping at his coffee and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"How much heat?"

His smirk gets a little wider as he takes another sip.

"Depends on how much energy you've got left in you," Tony shoots back. He crosses his legs and leans back himself, oozing confidence.

Theoretically Gibbs knows that Tony is better at some things than he is. Abby could probably whip him up a diagram or something if he actually gave a crap. However, in practice Gibbs generally held the upper hand in nearly every situation. This was possibly not one of those situations. This was possibly one of those things that Tony was better at in practice than in theory. He rises fluidly, pinning Gibbs to the spot with those eyes and moving quickly into the other man's space.

"So?" Tony practically purrs, "How much energy do you have left?"

And with that, he kisses Gibbs. There's no mistake in it, it's right on the lips, there's even a little tongue and for a minute Gibbs has to marvel at the balls it would take to do something like this.

Gibbs watches Tony's mouth and when he finally flicks his eyes back up to lock with Tony's he has to grin.

"Wasn't tired to begin with."


End file.
